


expect the unexpected

by kingstqrk



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Jon and the Starks Are Not Related, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, also lots of stark family fluff, this is the promised jonsa modern au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-23 16:03:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12511064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingstqrk/pseuds/kingstqrk
Summary: When Sansa has to go to White Harbour at the last minute, she's lucky that Jon Snow happens to be living there. The problem with staying with Jon: she hasn't seen him in years, and they might as well be strangers.When Jon decides to come back to Winterfell, is it possible that they can be more than strangers? And possibly even more than just friends? Sansa would never have believed it, but as she's come to learn, you should always expect the unexpected.





	1. Hey, Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> So I recently posted a one-shot for a Jonsa modern AU, and the response was great. So like I promised, I decided to post the first chapter of a multi-chapter fic idea I had. 
> 
> Thanks to my beta Sansastarkofwinterfell. I hope you guys like it!

“You’re only telling me this now?” Sansa asked in frustration. She closed her eyes and pinched her forehead as she leaned back against the corridor wall.

Alys Karstark’s reply was apologetic. “Sorry, Sansa. I only just found out. I only called because the exhibition is lined up to be really good.”

“I know, I wanted to go when you told me in the first place, I just didn’t realise it was this week,” Sansa sighed.

“Why, are you busy?”

“Well, no—but it’s in White Harbour! I’ve got nowhere to stay.”

“I would offer you a place to stay but I’m bunking with Wylla,” Alys explained. She hummed thoughtfully. “Well, I’m sure you’ll think of something, Sansa. See you next week!” And just like that, the phone disconnected.

Sansa made her way back inside Robb’s apartment, where he and Theon were eating their tacos.

“What’s up?” Robb asked, when he noticed the look on her face.

“You know the exhibition in White Harbour I mentioned before?” Both Robb and Theon looked at her blankly. She rolled her eyes. _I swear boys never listen._ “Well, anyway, it turns out it’s this week.”

“So?” Theon asked.

“ _So_?” Sansa shot back. “I’ve got so much to do! I’m going to have to book a hotel room and those are always so expensive last minute—“

Before she could continue, Robb’s face brightened up. “No, you won’t!”

“What are you talking about?”

 “Jon’s in White Harbour,” Robb said, smiling as if he had solved everything. “I’m sure you can stay with him.”

“Jon? Jon Snow?” Sansa asked.

Now it was Theon’s turn to roll his eyes. “Jeez, Sansa, I knew you were never best friends with the guy—not that I can blame you—but you don’t remember who he is?”

“Of course I remember Jon,” Sansa snapped back, her cheeks heating up slightly. Her past treatment of Jon had been something she had thought about rarely since coming back from King’s Landing, but on the times when she had thought about it, it had been accompanied by feelings of shame.

Robb’s smile started to fall slightly. “I’m sure he’ll let you stay with him. I’ll text him.”

“What’s he doing in White Harbour anyway?” Sansa asked. “I thought he was in Dorne.”

“He came back from Dorne four months ago,” Robb told her, raising his eyebrows. “He’s working at a legal aid clinic in White Harbour for a term.”

“Oh—oh, right. Ok, well, I guess that could work. If he lets me stay with him.”

Theon smirked. “Now sit down, Stark, and get eating. I want to get to dessert.”

Sansa sat down and finished her dinner, as conversation moved to other topics. Robb and Theon invited her for dinner to their apartment every so often, and usually it was nice, but this time Sansa’s mood was dampened by her anxiety over her upcoming trip.

She wasn’t sure whether than anxiety got worse or better when she went home that evening and received a text from Robb.

_Just asked Jon, he said of course it’s fine for you to stay with him for a week :)._

_BTW, you’re welcome. I’m such a good brother._

*****

The plane ticket was expensive, but Sansa reasoned it was worth it. White Harbour was the fashion capital of the North, and this exhibition would be a good experience. Nonetheless, she locked up her shop with slight regret. She didn’t like leaving it closed for extended periods of time.  

As Sansa arrived at the airport and made her way through check-in, her mind kept wondering to Jon Snow.

 _I haven’t seen him in three years_ , she thought. _More to the point, he hasn’t seen me. He probably still thinks I’m the same girl I was before I went to King’s Landing._

Jon had been Robb’s best friend (well, him and Theon) growing up. He had lived down the road with his mother, Lyanna Snow, but truth be told he seemed to spend more time at the Starks’ manor, Winterfell.

All her siblings adored Jon, but Sansa had never been that close to him. She’d been more focused on leaving Winterfell as soon as she could and going South.

 _And now I have to spend a week with him_ , Sansa lamented.

As soon as she got on the plane, Sansa put her headphones in and tried to get some sleep, wanting to rid herself of any more thoughts of Jon.

*****

 As Sansa collected her luggage she scrolled through her texts. Robb had messaged her Jon’s address, so all she needed to do was get a taxi…

She was so busy trying to find that message that she barely heard someone call her name. “Sansa! Hey, Sansa!”

Sansa looked up, and sure enough, it was none other than Jon Snow himself. He had changed, that was for sure. He was taller and bigger, and he had grown his beard out. But he was still instantly recognisable. He smiled at her.

Sansa hesitated, unsure how to greet him, before hugging him anyway. He seemed slightly surprised but returned the hug. Jon was wearing a jacket, and she could feel the warmth of his body, which was surprisingly muscular.

 _He’s a lot more good-looking than I remember, that’s for sure_ , Sansa thought, before pushing the unwelcome thought away.

“Hi,” she said, once they broke away from each other. “Long time no see.”

“Yeah,” Jon agreed, looking her up and down. “You’ve…changed.” She was wearing a Northern coat, and her hair fell down around her shoulders rather than knotting it up in a Southern style. She supposed she had changed from how she used to look and dress.

“I was going to take a taxi to your place, I didn’t realise you were going to come.”

Jon shrugged. “I had a free afternoon, so I thought why not. Shall I show you to the car?”

She nodded and followed him, and soon he was driving out of the airport parking. “Thanks for coming,” she said sincerely. “You didn’t need to, but I appreciate it.”

Jon just smiled. “So,” he asked, “what brings you to White Harbour? Robb mentioned something about a fashion show?”

Sansa rolled her eyes. “It’s a fashion _exhibition_ ,” she said. _Leave it to Robb to get it wrong._ “But yeah, I’m hoping to try out some new styles for my shop.”

“Your shop?” Jon asked.

“Oh, yeah. When I came back from King’s Landing University I did a qualification in business, dad set it up. And then I opened my shop.” She smiled at the thought of it. She’d put her heart and soul into opening the shop, and everyone in the family had pitched in to help, painting the walls and installing the counter and so on.

“How is everyone?” Jon asked.

“Everyone’s good. Robb recently got promoted, he has an apartment with Theon. Bran’s applying for university, and Rickon just got on his school track team. Mum and Dad are getting ready for their trip soon, they’re both really excited. Oh, and Arya told me to tell you you’re a dork and that she misses you.” Jon laughed. “But yeah, everything is pretty normal.”

Jon stayed silent for a moment, tapping the driver’s wheel. Eventually he spoke. “I thought you wanted to stay South?”

Now it was Sansa’s turn to stay quiet. “Turns out the South wasn’t all I thought it would be,” she said finally.

Jon seemed to read the tension in the air, and decided not to press that topic.

“What about you?” Sansa asked, after another beat of awkward silence. “How come you went to Dorne?”

She realised she’d never questioned why Jon had gone Dorne in the first place two years ago. She’d known he _was_ going to Dorne; he had passed through King’s Landing on his way. _I was meant to meet him for dinner_ , Sansa remembered suddenly. _But I cancelled because Joffrey and Cersei held one of their events and invited me at the last minute_. It was her fault they hadn’t seen each other in so long, not that Jon probably cared.

She could have sworn Jon was remembering the same incident, but he didn’t mention it. He coughed as he took a turn onto a side road. “Oh, I finished my legal training there.” Sansa figured there was more to that story but she decided to return the favour and not push him.

Soon, Jon was parking outside an apartment block. They entered the building, which was fairly modern looking, and climbed a couple of floors before Jon unlocked the door to his apartment. “It’s not much,” he warned her. “I thought since I’m only renting it for six months I didn’t need anything too nice.”

Sansa looked around. It wasn’t big, but it wasn’t much smaller than Sansa’s own apartment back in Wintertown anyway. There were plates left out by the sink and through the open door of the main bedroom she saw clothes lying on an unmade bed.

Jon led her to another door, and opened it to reveal a small bedroom. “It’s not much,” he repeated, “but…”

Past Sansa might have turned up her nose and complained. Present Sansa wouldn’t.  

She smiled. “It’s fine. More than fine.” It felt homely. Sansa didn’t see anything wrong with that.

Sansa didn’t miss the flash of surprise in Jon’s eyes. “Oh. Well, that’s…good. I’ll leave you to unpack and get settled in then. If you need anything, let me know.”

“Sure,” Sansa said, and zipped open her suitcase while Jon left the room. “Oh, Jon?” she called out, before he left.

He turned around quickly. “Yeah? Is it too messy, because I can clean it up—“

“No, no, nothing like that. I just wanted to say thank you. For letting me stay with you.”

Jon just shrugged. “Of course. Oh, by the way, I thought since you were coming over, and I remembered they were your favourite…I mean they might not be anymore, it’s probably stupid—“

“What is it?” Sansa asked.

“I made lemon cakes,” Jon said, a red blush creeping up his neck. “I like cooking and I remembered—you don’t have to have them, but I thought—“

Sansa smiled widely. “They’re still my favourite. That’s so sweet.”

Jon just smiled back at her genuinely, before turning to leave again.

As Sansa turned back to her unpacking, her smile remained. Maybe staying with Jon wouldn’t be as bad as she had feared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! This was mostly an introductory chapter. Also, I promise we will see more of the rest of the Starks soon, I know only Robb was in this chapter.
> 
> I'm really nervous about sharing but hopefully you enjoyed it? Let me know what you thought in the comments <3


	2. In For a Ride

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for the response on the first chapter! It was really nice and I've got a lot of ideas for this fic, so I'll definitely be continuing. Hope you enjoy this!
> 
> Thanks to my beta Sansastarkofwinterfell!

When Sansa stepped out of the bathroom, she was instantly hit with the smell of frying bacon. She had just had her morning shower and was already getting hungry. The enticing smell only strengthened her appetite.

She quickly went to the kitchen to investigate. Sure enough, there Jon was, frying some bacon. He’d even made some egg and toast.

“You have this for breakfast every morning?” Sansa asked.

Jon looked back at her and gave her a slight smile. He was dressed in suit trousers and a button-down shirt with a tie. He looked smart, that was for sure. “No, but I thought you might like a proper breakfast,” he admitted. “And I could certainly use a change from cereal.”

“Oh,” Sansa said. “Thank you, Jon. How can I help?”

Soon they were tucking into breakfast. The eggs were fluffy and light, but Sansa wasn’t surprised. As she had discovered yesterday with the lemon cakes, Jon was a very good cook.

“Where’d you learn?” she asked him. “How to cook, I mean.”

“Oh, well, I always liked cooking,” he said, avoiding her eye. She blushed slightly. _Another thing I didn’t know because I never bothered to found out_. “But I got a lot better while in Dorne.”

“Well, I appreciate the effort you’ve made,” she said genuinely. “You’re a great host, far better than I deserve.”

Jon smiled. “Well, my mum always said it was important to look after guests. Hey, I can drive you to your exhibition if you want, it’s on the way to my clinic.”

Soon Sansa was saying goodbye to Jon as she entered the building where the fashion exhibition was taking place. She had only entered the foyer when she was thrown into a hug.

“Sansa! I knew you’d make it!”

“Hi, Wylla,” Sansa said, smiling at her friend.

Alys Karstark turned around the corner as well, breaking into a grin when she spotted them. “There you are, Sansa.” She grabbed her hand. “Let’s go, there’s so much to see.”

They walked around, looking at all the displays. Sansa took care to speak to each of the vendors. Every one of them owned brands or shops, and Sansa could make valuable connections. She even found a couple of styles she’d love to display in her shop, and she made a note of them.

Wylla and Alys talked to her as they make their way around the exhibition. “So, Sansa, where did you find a place to stay in the end?” Wylla asked.

“Oh, my brother’s friend has a place here,” she explained. “So I’m just staying with him.”

“Oh, you didn’t mention this,” Alys said, suddenly interested. “Well, is he hot?”

Sansa blushed. “Alys! He’s my brother’s friend.” Alys huffed.

“Well, I’m glad you found a place in the end,” she finally said. “This isn’t something you should have missed.”

“Agreed,” Sansa says, nodding her head. “Some of these brands are just incredible.”

“Hmph,” Wylla said, raising an eyebrow. “You’re better than half of them.”

Sansa blushed. “You’re kind, Wylla, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Alys smirked. “Of course you don’t. For some reason you don’t seem to understand how good you are.”

“Your friends are right, Miss Stark,” a voice said from behind them. “Your designs always were exceptional.”

The three of them spun round to see none other than Petyr Baelish. Sansa’s stomach dropped.

“Professor Baelish,” she said, surprised. “I didn’t realise you’d be here.”

Petry Baelish had been one of their Professors at King’s Landing University, though Sansa had never liked him. Although he had supposedly known her mother when they were children, he was far too creepy now.

“Oh, I wouldn’t miss it,” Baelish said, grinning. “Everyone in King’s Landing has been very excited about this exhibition. White Harbour is expanding at a monumental rate, as you all know.”

Sansa felt sick. “Everyone? Cersei—she’s not here, is she?”

“Oh, no, I think Cersei was otherwise occupied,” Baelish told her. “A shame, no doubt, you always seemed to like her.”

“Well, we better go look around some more, Professor Baelish,” Alys said suddenly.

“Oh, of course, I wouldn’t want to keep you ladies,” Baelish agreed. “Although call me Petyr. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing more of you. I’m actually thinking of expanding my Mockingbird brand into the North.”

They said bye to Baelish and walked away, Alys swearing under her breath. “He’s such a creep.”

Wylla nodded in agreement. “He always looks at you so weirdly, Sansa,” she said in disgust.

Sansa sighed. “Let’s just forget about him guys, and enjoy the rest of this exhibition.”

*****

The rest of the day went smoothly, and soon Sansa was saying her goodbyes to Alys and Wylla, promising to meet them the day after next for the second day of the exhibition. There was usually a day break between each event to allow for new vendors to come in and settle, but the exhibition would be going on for the rest of the week.

Sansa took a taxi back to Jon’s apartment. She spotted a supermarket a couple of minutes’ walk away from his place, and suddenly got an idea.

Jon had given her a spare key, saying he’d probably be back late today. As Sansa opened the door, she headed straight for the kitchen and looked around to see what food Jon had. Upon seeing that, she decided to go ahead with her plan.

She popped over to the supermarket and picked up a packet of pasta and then some ingredients. She hesitated before she was about to pay. _Should I do this? What if he thinks it’s stupid? Or he’s already had dinner by the time he gets back?_

Yet Sansa bought the stuff anyway. _It’ll be a nice way to thank him_ , she argued to herself. It would also be a good way of showing him she _had_ changed, but she didn’t dwell on that.

Sansa also liked cooking, she’d always loved helping her mum in the kitchen. And she could make a mean spaghetti bolognaise. She got to work cutting the vegetables and mixing the sauce, and then added some spices. Soon a pleasant aroma was wafting around the kitchen.

She finished just in time, and had only just laid the table when the door opened. She heard Jon traipse into the living room and take off his shoes.

He popped his head into the kitchen. “Oh, hi, San—what are you doing?”

She smiled at him. “I made dinner. I thought since you’d be late, I could make you pasta, you know, as a way of saying thank you.”

Jon looked at the table for a second before looking back at her. A smile slowly broke out on his face. “This looks great, and I’m starving.”

Ten minutes later and they were both tucking in to dinner. “This is amazing,” Jon said. “It tastes as good as your mum’s, she used to make this all the time, right?”

“I got the recipe from her,” Sansa admitted. “She used to always make it on special occasions.”

“So what’s the special occasion?” Jon asked. “Did your exhibition go well?”

“Oh, it was great. I’m really excited for Thursday as well, I’m planning on buying some stock.”

“I thought you designed your own clothes?”

“I do, but around two thirds of what I sell is still other brands,” Sansa explained. “I’m trying to build up more of my own stuff, but it takes time.”

Jon just nodded, and a brief silence settled over them before Sansa broke it. “So how’s your work? You had a long day.”

Jon shrugged. “It was fine. I was helping with some tax settlements for a few pensioners, which isn’t the most thrilling work but it’s necessary.”

“Do you like working at the clinic?”

“I get to help people, which is always nice,” Jon said, as he picked their plates up and put it by the sink. “The days can be long but it’s worth it. Speaking of which, I’ve actually now got holiday for the next two days. You said the exhibition’s not on tomorrow, right? I was thinking I could show you around White Harbour, some of it’s really nice.”

“Oh,” Sansa said, unable to help her surprise. “That would be great. Thank you, Jon.”

Jon’s lips quirked upwards. “You need to stop saying that.”

“What?” Sansa asked, confused.

“Thank you. You’ve said it enough times,” Jon told her.

“Oh,” Sansa laughed. She noticed Jon had started filling the dishwasher. “Hey, I can do that.”

Jon just waved her offer away. “You cooked, I can clean.”

“Fine,” Sansa said, giving in. “Thanks—“

“Don’t say it!” Jon laughed. It was a nice sound, Sansa thought.

*****

“So this is the famous harbour?” Sansa said, as she looked around. The sea was a glittering blue, and there were rows of boats and yachts. The sun was shining, and it was a pleasant enough day, kids running around on the pier.

“Not as much as you expected?” Jon asked.

“It’s nice!” Sansa protested.

“Well, it’s no Steps of Baelor or Red Keep, that’s for sure,” Jon said. Sansa’s smile fell. “Sorry, I didn’t mean—“ Jon said quickly.

“It’s okay,” Sansa said shortly.

Jon rubbed the back of his neck, looking genuinely apologetic, and Sansa decided to move on in the conversation. She couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed though.

 _He still thinks I’m the same person who loved everything about King’s Landing and hated the North_ , she thought. _Of course._

“You want to get some ice cream?” Jon suddenly asked, pointing at a stand. “It’s amazing, I promise.”

Sansa nodded, and they headed over there. “What can I get for you?” the vendor asked, smiling widely.

“Two ice delights, please,” Jon asked, before handing over some money.

“I can pay,” Sansa started to argue, but Jon cut her off.

“My treat,” he assured her. “Plus, I’m choosing the flavour. Trust me, you’ll love it.”

“Have a nice day, you two,” the vendor said cheerfully as he handed over the ice creams. Sansa thanked him and took it, before taking a lick.

“Oh my god,” she said. “That is heavenly.”

Jon just smirked. “Told you.”

“I’ve never been gladder I didn’t inherit my dad’s dislike of ice creams,” Sansa said while working at her ice cream, as they sat down on a bench.

Jon leaned forward. “Ned hates ice cream?”

Sansa raised an eyebrow. “Have you ever seen him eat it?”

Jon thought for a second. “No…”

“Well, there you go. My dad eats everything my mum gives him, except for when it comes to dessert and the ice cream comes out.”

Jon looked shocked. “But how can he not…”

Sansa shrugged. “You’d have to ask him.”

“Wait,” Jon said slowly. “You’re saying _that’s_ why Arya doesn’t like ice cream?” Sansa nodded. “Everything makes so much more sense now,” he muttered.

Sansa smirked. “Do you remember when she made that bet with Robb about how could get to the top of the treehouse first, and then she lost and had to eat those tubs of ice cream?”

“Yeah, she was sick for hours afterwards, remember?” Jon laughed.

There was a beat’s silence as their laughter died down before Sansa spotted something. “Hey, what’s that?”

“Oh, that’s a fair they have,” Jon said. “It’s pretty popular.”

Sansa saw rollercoasters and arcade games, flashing lights and candyfloss. “Have you been? It looks good.”

Jon gave her a look. “No, I’ve not been. How would that look, a young man by himself going to a fair?”

Sansa stood up. “Well, you’re not by yourself. Come on.”

Jon hesitated. “You’re serious?” His smile widened when she nodded enthusiastically. “Well, if you want. You’re the guest.”

They went to an arcade game first. “Oh, look, it’s a fluffy wolf!” Sansa cooed.

Jon scoffed. “You Starks and your wolves. What was the toy that you had? You called it Lady, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, how did you remember that?” Sansa said, surprised. Jon reddened slightly and just shrugged.

Sansa inserted a coin and had her go at the grabber game to win the wolf, but unfortunately she was rubbish at those games. Jon sighed. “Here, let me try,” he said.

She scooted over and this time he attempted to get it. “Hey! How did you do that?” Sansa exclaimed, as Jon passed her the toy wolf, successful in his attempt.

Jon just shrugged. “Here, you have it.” When she tried to protest, he just shook his head. “You’ll like it more than me.”

They moved on, and Sansa spotted the queue for the rollercoaster. “Come on, let’s go!” she enthused. She secretly loved rollercoasters, although she remembered that time she had to pretend to agree with Joffrey that they were childish at a dinner party. She shook that memory off.

“Fine,” Jon agreed. Together they got in line, and soon they were moving onto the rollercoaster. As they sat there, waiting for the ride to start, it struck Sansa how absurd this whole situation was. Out of all the people she thought she’d be getting ready to go on a rollercoaster with in White Harbour, Jon Snow was not a name she would have thought of.

Even stranger was that Sansa was actually enjoying her time with him. _He’s less moody than I remember_ , she decided. _Or maybe I’ve just taken the chance to actually get to know him_. Other way, she thought, she liked it.

And then the rollercoaster was moving and she was whizzing through the air. When a minute later the ride touched down again, Sansa blew a strand of hair out of her face.

“That was good,” Jon commented, smiling more widely than he Sansa had ever seen.

“Again?” Sansa asked.

“Definitely again,” Jon agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that, the seeds of Jonsa have been sown. Fair warning, I don't plan for to stretch Sansa's week in White Harbour out for too long, maybe another chapter, or two at most? After that we'll be seeing the rest of the Starks and the plot of the fic, as indicated in the summary, will be in full gear. 
> 
> Leave a comment letting me know what you think!


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